Houston Community College
Scholarship Essay Initiative
Scholarship Essay Initiative
Part I
1) Use a 12 hour fulltime class schedules as the basis for this project. Calculate the price
of 12 hours, as an in-district student and out-of-district student, at Houston
Community College. The amount that you come up with will act as the base amount
for your next calculations.
2) Use the Internet, www.fastweb.com or www.scholarships.com, to search for a
scholarship that meets your specific situations and/or needs. HCC financial coaches
and HCC foundation will also be assisting in this effort.
3) Document the maximum amount that can be awarded for the scholarship that you are
applying for.
4) Divide the maximum award by 2.
5) Use the number arrived at in step #4 to subtract from the number arrived at in step #1.
Ex. $780
-$1000
-$220
EXAMPLE OF SCHOLARSHIPS CALCULATIONS
1) HCC SCHOLARSHIP (www.HCCscholarship.com)
Maximum Award: $5000
In-District
Out-of-District
$2500
$2500
-$800
$1600
$1700
$900
2) Walmart Scholarship (www.walmartscholarship.com)
Maximum Award: $2000
In-District
Out-of-District
$1000
$1000
-$800
$1600
$200
-$600
*SCHOLARSHIPS MUST CONTAIN AN ESSAY COMPONENT
*Promotions, Contests and Scholarships that DO NOT REQUIRE an essay are
UNACCEPTABLE
Part II
1) Students will be given class time in their INRW class to research scholarships
following a library tour.
2) Students must also schedule an appointment with their F/A Counselors to check their
current F/A status.
3) Using the information obtain in Part I and Part II, write a 5-paragraph essay about
how being awarded a scholarship would impact you (ie. financially, physically, or
emotionally).